I've been waiting all day for this, and finally 3:00 has arrived! That rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and the flyover have me juiced up (not in the Shawne Merriman way) for some FOOTBALL! Time to grab a beer before the coin toss! Man, this should be one Hell of a game. FOOOOOTBALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!! What would be weirder: The Packers holding the George S. Halas Trophy or the Bears holding the Lombardi Trophy? Too bad they're mutually exclusive...I think if both were to happen, we'd be in Bizzaro World.
1. Man, Green Bay looks impressive. Chicago didn't provide even a speed bump on that first drive. Aaron Rogers is ON today, and Chicago is going to have to find some way to pressure him. The play calling there was also very interesting. They came out aggressively and took shots, and most importantly, they took advantage of the Bears being pumped up at home on defense. The play actions fooled the linebackers, as they crashed hard, and the naked boot was a thing of beauty. I don't think I've seen an entire defense go in one direction on a fake since the Turkey Bowl when my uncle ran a fake pitch with no one behind him to receive it (I still don't know how people bit on that).
2. Now, Green Bay has its running game going too. If Chicago bit on the play action before that last drive, it can be used as a devastating weapon now! Also, looking at the last replay, if Briggs hadn't pulled Starks's legs up to try to drag him away from the endzone, the knee probably would have hit before the ball crossed the goal line. Mike Martz needs to call a perfect drive to answer with some points on the board now. If he doesn't, the consequences could (and likely will) be dire.
3. Jay is throwing the ball up for grabs a bit more than he should here. It's still the first half. He needs to settle down a bit and not do anything to build a hole that Da Bears can't climb out of. (Update: There it is. Good thing the Bears defense reversed the field by intercepting Rogers before this.)
4. The Bears defense or special teams is going to have to make a big play here to get some momentum. The Bears offense looks completely dejected, with their heads hanging. I don't see them changing the momentum with that sort o body language. That's not to say they can't feed off momentum caused by a big play, but it is not something I'd want to see if I was a Bears fan. Another thing I wouldn't want to see as a Bears fan is Todd Collins taking snaps. I saw it as a Bills fan after the Kelly Era, and it's not pretty. Now, it will be old and not pretty. (Update: The Urlacher pick may do it...let's see. Update 2: Todd Collins time...Uh oh.).
5. If I'm McCarthy or the Green Bay special teams coach, I'm not letting Williams return another punt. He muffed one earlier, and trying to pick up the one rolling around with two guys "Bearing" down on him was foolish. That's the kind of play that can let a team back into the game.
6. What's worse than Todd Collins? Todd Collins's backup, Caleb Hanie! I don't know for sure because I (along with probably anyone outside of Chicago *excepting his mother*) have never heard of him. I'm just assuming that the Bears coaching staff knows how to rank their quarterbacks. It's a very good thing for the Bears that Rogers seems to enjoy throwing to blue jerseys today. Maybe, they can bring him out to QB their offense?
7. They're saying that since Hanie came in in the third quarter, neither Jay Cutler nor Todd Collins can reenter the game. This of course begs the question, "What happens if Hanie gets hurt?" Will there be wildcat out the wazoo, or do the rules permit reentry of one of the other quarterbacks in that case? I don't hope to find out the hard way because I don't want to see the guy get hurt...I wish the announcers would have touched on it though. If anyone knows, please post in the comments section.
8. The Johnny Knox completion was a touchdown, and to call it anything other than that is a travesty.
9. That is the second time today that I've heard Troy Aikman say, "And that's the first time we've seen Jay Cutler smile all day." Note: The first time he said it was about fifteen minutes prior to the second. ::scratches head::
10. 0 for 9 on third down for Chicago? It's a wonder they have seven points. The score is close, and this is by no means over because of that, but it's felt like Green Bay has been in complete control regardless. The third down conversion (or lack of conversion) number supports that feeling.
11. BJ Raji turns out the lights. If only they'd really been turned off so no one would have had to see his fat ass hula dancing. That's going to haunt my dreams. Props to Hanie for chasing him down though...He nearly knocked the ball out of Raji's hands Don Beebe Style. In more display of resilience, Hanie just marched the Bears down the field for a very quick score. I know the Packers had likely not looked at tape of him (as the availability of such tape is highly limited), but he's been impressive.
12. With the Green Bay offense struggling like they are, Masthay deserves all sorts of credit for flipping the field and keeping Hester negated on the punt returns. I'm gonna give him the nickname "Anti-Dodge."
13. If I'm a Bears fan, seeing Julius Peppers laughing and joking around with a Green Bay coach would make my stomach turn. Congrats to the Packers. Celebrate now, and start preparing for your Super Bowl opponent at 10:00 tonight.
14. Thank you, Green Bay...Now I can have my annual Super Bowl Bacon Cheeseburger!
Up next: Jets/Steelers
-FSG
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